Golden Goose Opens PLAYLAB, INC. Installation at Venice Biennale
Golden Goose unveiled 'The Forest For The Trees' installation at HAUS in Marghera for the upcoming 2026 Venice Biennale. Created by Los Angeles design studio PLAYLAB, INC., founded by Archie Lee Coates IV and Jeff Franklin, the project integrates art and architecture. Features include an interactive Piazza with a sonic backdrop, an Academy for crafting miniature trees, a sensory Tunnel, and an impressive hand-painted forest in a Hangar. The opening night featured a candlelit dinner by Michelin-starred Da Gorini and floral designs by Federica Carlini. Remarkably, the team designed the installation remotely using digital technology.
Key facts
- Golden Goose opened 'The Forest For The Trees' at HAUS in Marghera for the 2026 Venice Biennale.
- The installation was conceived by Los Angeles–based studio PLAYLAB, INC., co-founded in 2004 by Archie Lee Coates IV and Jeff Franklin.
- PLAYLAB, INC. has produced eleven runway shows for Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton and handmade music video sets for Post Malone.
- The installation includes a Piazza, Academy and Playground, Tunnel, and Hangar with a hand-painted forest.
- Visitors participate by painting and placing miniature trees into a collective diorama that is filmed.
- The visual language was inspired by Tyrus Wong's backgrounds for Disney's 1942 film Bambi.
- PLAYLAB, INC. built the installation without visiting the space, using video walkthroughs and digital planning.
- On opening night, Michelin-starred Da Gorini curated a candlelit dinner with flower designer Federica Carlini.
Entities
Artists
- Archie Lee Coates IV
- Jeff Franklin
- Virgil Abloh
- Post Malone
- Tyrus Wong
- Federica Carlini
- Lola Schnabel
- Youssef Nabil
- Charlotte Rose
- Sean Koons
- Arjun Kapoor
- Tessa Sakhi
- Keegan Palmer
- Cory Juneau
- Sinbad Guggenheim
- Alberto Bof
- Marina Abramovic
- Jordan Roth
- Irene di Spilimbergo
- Ana Cecilia Thompson Motta
- Silvio Campara
Institutions
- Golden Goose
- PLAYLAB, INC.
- HAUS
- Louis Vuitton
- Disney
- Da Gorini
- Surface
- Playlab Inc.
- Haus
- Cukcarna Gallery
- Palazzo dei Fiori
- Westminster Dog Show
- Musée d'Orsay
Locations
- Venice
- Marghera
- Mexico City
- Tokyo
- Istanbul
- Los Angeles
- Place Dauphine
- Italy
- Maghera
- New York
- Sicily
- Paris
- France